Icy Venom
by TheZorker
Summary: After a harrowing mission in Peru, Phil Coulson's team seeks to resolve the personal quest of one of the Avengers: The restoration of life to Elsa's sister Anna. But the enemies from the past have a way of biting back... (Sequel to Cryomancy and Stark Wars, found in Avengers/Frozen. No Parings)
1. Chapter 1

Shield BUS: New York Coastal Waters  
>20:00 hours Eastern Standard Time.<p>

"I can't believe we have one of the Avengers on our bus!" Jemma said, excitedly.

After a moment of analyzing the thoroughly shocked Elsa, Melinda May nodded to herself, snorted slightly, and turned and walked back up the hallway.

Jemma looked after her. "I suppose I should mention that you're only the second coldest person on the bus." Skye and Fitz laughed.

After a few moments, Elsa began to find her voice again. "How... how did you? Wait... you told me Arendelle was frozen."

"It began to melt," Fitz began, his voice betraying a Scottish accent.

"A few hours after the battle for New York," Jemma finished.

"And before you ask," Coulson said, "We needed some of the readings that Mr. Stark took in order to find all of the pieces. Fitz and Simmons were on site, until we recalled them when we were about ready to get you. Then we had a forced detour to Peru, or we would have been here a week ago."

Elsa looked at Phil and nodded slowly. "How did you survive?"

"Your ice stopped me from losing any more blood, and slowed down the heart so that the internal injuries didn't kill me on the spot. The helicarrier has a trauma unit, and a surgeon on staff. I was comatose, but I was lucky. I came out of it in just a few days." He smiled. "Thank you for saving my life, I was right to trust you."

Elsa's eyes grew wide, and it was apparent to everyone in the room that she was trying not to cry. "Thank you, Phil," she said. Her mind had begun to have time to process everything. She swallowed as the mental anguish threatened to overtake her again. "Why didn't Anna's body melt with the rest of the ice?"

"We're not sure," Jemma said. "It's, well, magic. Maybe it's something about your shared bloodline that makes her more sympathetic to holding on to the magical energy. I don't know." She frowned for a moment. "But.. since her body's still here, we thought you needed to see it person."

"And maybe, just maybe" Leopold continued, "we'd help you find a way to reverse it. I know. I know, you don't know how. Tony tried a lot of things. But if it's a question of the right circumstances..."

"What better way to trigger it?" Jemma concluded.

Elsa's eyes went wide. Anna? Bring Anna back? She'd move Heaven and Earth itself if that's what it took. She'd told Loki that she'd gladly sacrifice her magic for just one more day with Anna. It hadn't changed. She struggled to control her emotions, and thanked SHIELD one more time for the bracers. "Thank you," she said again.

"It's a long flight," Phil said, standing back up. "Fitz? Simmons? Why don't you show Ms. Elsa around?"

"Ooh! Wait until you see..." Jemma said, almost dragging Elsa away through the bowels of the bus. Leopold and Skye exchanged looks, grinned, and followed along behind.

"Thoughts?" Phil asked Grant.

"Normally, I'd ask 'Why Us?', but with your connection to the VIP," Grant answered, professionally, "I'd have to agree with the assessment." He shrugged. "After our first two ops turned hot, it might be good for the team to have a slower paced assignment."

Phil nodded.

"She's level headed, and remarkably stoic, from everything in your briefing. I think a lot of people would have broken down with the number of emotional shocks, but she took each one well. I thought May was made of ice, but Elsa..." Ward paused. "No disrespect intended, sir."

Coulson grinned. "None taken. Thank you, Agent Ward."

* * *

><p>SHIELD Bus: Greenland<p>

21:00 Hours Eastern Standard time.

The days was beginning to catch up to Elsa. That morning had been a round of tests from Tony Stark, before settling in for the Star Wars trilogy. And now they were on a Transatlantic flight that was going to go at least another six hours. Jemma and the rest seemed nice enough, but Elsa was used to being alone.

After being given the tour, and spending some time in the lounge talking about the pasts and training of the agents... and Skye, who was remarkably evasive about it, Elsa finally gave a yawn. "I'm sorry," she said. "It's been a long day for me."

"Oh!" Jemma said, startled. "Of course. You can have my bunk. I'll sleep out here. I'm not ready to go to bed just yet."

"Thank you," Elsa said, politely. "Can you show me?"

"Of course!" Jemma said, jumping up.

* * *

><p>"And that's the light switch..." she finished.<p>

Elsa unslung her travel bag, hastily packed by Ms. Pepper, as they got into the room. She fished out a book,, and sat down on the bed.

"Redeemer's Oath?" Jemma asked.

"Something Dr. Banner gave me before I left. Said it was a long flight, and he knew I liked stories."

"By John Burkhart," Jemma said. Then she gave a visible shudder. "Those hands are creepy."

"Anyway," Elsa said, "Thank you for use of your bed tonight. I just hope I can sleep."

"Everything will be fine, Elsa. You'll see!" Jemma said brightly, then left the room, closing the door behind her.

It was funny, the way life kept throwing optimists toward Elsa. She sat down on the bed, cracked open the book, and began to read.

* * *

><p>SHIELD Bus: Norway (Arendelle)<p>

08:00 Hours Eastern Standard Time (15:00 Hours CET)

There was plenty of green plains east of Arendelle , and it was there Melinda put "The Bus" down. The "crew", as Leopold put it, that went walking toward the fjords past the wall town of Arendelle consisted of Leopold, Jenna, Skye, Phil, and Elsa herself.

"We're in the borders of the Country of Norway," Phil told her, as they walked, "The rehabilitating of Arrendale into the 21st century is too big a project for SHIELD. If you wanted it, you'd still be technically queen. But what you told me before New York, and what you told Captain Rodgers, is that you didn't think you would be capable of it.

It was hard to say again, now that she was standing here. But while Elsa had her faults, pride and power were not among them. "In my own time, I think, I would have been a good monarch. But this isn't my time," Elsa told him.

The city state of Arendelle looked almost like Elsa remembered it. She'd last seen it in the Summer Snowstorm, that she'd caused. But she had something more important to focus on right now. The woman heading their way. "Phil?" Elsa asked, "Who's that?"

"I'm not sure, but she seems to be expecting us," Phil observed. "Hello!"

"Hello, Agents!" the woman said, getting closer. She was a petit woman, a bit smaller then Elsa, with light, almost dreamy, brown eyes, and muddy blond hair. She wore an official looking uniform labeled "Politi- og lensmannsetaten". She looked vaguely flustered and dirty.

"Oh, right," said Jemma. "Members of the Norwegian Police Service were assisting us with the search and keeping away the riff raff." Noting Phil's grumpy look, "Some things, like unexplained weather phenomenon, are just too hard to keep quiet. Besides, we needed the local help."

The woman nodded, and introduced herself, "I'm Lenora Klepp. We were waiting for you to return," she told them, giving a wan smile. "Sorry, there was a fire. The three of us went to help. It's contained..." she swallowed, meeting Elsa's eyes. "We had to leave your sister alone. _Jeg beklager,_" she apologized.

Elsa cocked her head, _"Snakker du norsk?"_

Lenora nodded again, _"I do._ _Queen Elsa," _she said, still smiling. "Though, I think most of your teammates only speak English. We've still got a bit of a walk ahead of us, shall we continue?"

Phil continued to look grumpy. "You left her *alone*?" he asked.

"Look, we wanted to help. No one else even knows what we're doing out there. I'm a cop, not some sort of … interstellar super agent."

"How goes the integration project?" he asked, starting to walk, and changing the subject, somewhat mollified.

"Surprisingly well. After all, everyone got frozen pretty much equally, so family units are all together. The only exceptions are the ambassadors who were here for the wedding, and mostly didn't have partner or kids, they're taking it pretty well. They'd come here to try to find a noble, or perhaps royal, spouse."

"Mostly?" asked Leopold.

"There's... just one exception," Lenora explained, letting out a sigh. "I thought SHIELD knew about that."

Elsa's eyes went wide, momentarily, before they were shut tight. She stopped so quick that Skye bumped into her.

"The Duke of Wësselton," she said quietly. He'd called her a monster. And perhaps he'd been proven right. She'd separated him from his wife and children.

"We do," Phil said, he reached out to put his hand on Elsa's shoulder, but she flinched away.

"It's... kinda of easy to tell when you're nervous, Elsa," Skye observed. "We can feel it in the air tonight."

"No fair making contemporary music references to people who've not lived through it, Skye," Jemma chided. "She's right though, and there's no reason to be nervous!"

"We're almost there," noted Lenora, "Queen Elsa... you may want to prepare yourself. They had to leave your sister... well.."

"Anna!" Elsa cried out. The picture had showed her intact... here... she looked like a broken statue, with about her top third lying on the grass. She still showed no sign of melting. There was a depression in the statue, toward the left of the otherwise smooth side. "What... what happened?"

"We had to break it," Leopold said, "If we're going to return Anna fully intact, we need to have the last piece. He turned to Elsa, who was gripping her necklace. She pulled at it, gently, taking fist sized piece of ice off its frozen chain. Then she forced herself to walk to the macabre statue, placing the stone into the gap.

Nothing happened.

She twisted it, slightly, and she knew when she got it right when it suddenly fused together. Even when she pulled at it in surprise, it wouldn't break again.

Phil and Skye hurried forward to help Elsa pick up the other piece, and it fused again into one whole statue. Her hand was still outstretched to catch the blade by the treacherous Hans. The one that been aimed to end Elsa's life.

Elsa looked at her, and her eye brimmed with tears. All she could think about was how meant her sister meant for her. How much she needed her back. _How close she was..__._ and nothing was happening. Despite her bracers, the temperature had dropped significantly, and Elsa's tears shattered against the ground.

"Elsa?" said Skye, somewhat nervously.

"...I can't. I don't know how." Elsa turned to Skye, and Skye flinched at the haunted look of despair that the former queen wore.

"What is the opposite of fear?" Phil asked suddenly.

"I'm sorry?" asked Elsa, Phil again managing to catch her off guard.

"What is the opposite of fear?" Phil repeated, smiling.

"Courage," Elsa replied automatically. "It's what allows you to act in place of fear."

Phil nodded. "But not the kind of fear where you are afraid of what is happening. That was the Battle of New York... and you faced that. What is the opposite of fear of what will happen?"

"I... I don't know."

"Hope. You've never had hope in your life. Things are going to get better. You have, probably more real friends then you had in your life. You have Mr. Stark, Mr. Rodgers, Dr. Banner, the other avengers. All of whom can, and will count on you if their life gets rough. And you know you can count on them. Think of how much brighter the future is with people you can trust."

"And you," Elsa said, with just the hint of a smile.

"And me. You're a good person, Elsa. You saved my life, and I trust you can save Anna."

"Elsa?" Skye was trying again. "I have something to show you," she had pulled a laptop from her backpack. It was a YouTube video. The family she'd saved. An extended interview, talking about how she risked herself to save them. Talking about the ice magic that had kept them alive. Kept _hope_ alive.

Was it really that simple?

She deactivated her antimagic bracers.

She drew on those feelings, on her love for her sister that she'd never fully expressed before.

"Yes," she whispered. "I want to build a snowman. I'm sorry it took so long. I didn't know how much I needed you, I really do. And now you're gone. Please just ask me once more. Just one more time. I promise I'll open the door..." She embraced the ice outright, closing her eyes.

[Youtube: "Yes, I want to build a Snowman." -TZ]

Anna had never lost hope.

Elsa heard a gasp a moment later, and forced her eyes open. Color was flowing back into Anna's body, starting at her chest, reverting from the ice that held her spirit captive. Elsa stared as the process completed, then threw herself into her sister's arms.

**"Anna!"**

They were like that for almost half a minute. Elsa crying warm, wet tears. Anna looking dazed and bemused.

It was Phil who broke the silence among the SHIELD agents, and it was with a surprised "Ugh". Then Lenora gave a cry of pain, and slumped to the ground, clutching her arm. Red drops fell to the grass below.

Hans had his sword out, the tip red with blood, and leveled at the chest of the sisters.


	2. Chapter 2

Elsa let Anna go, and threw magic directly at the monster, but he knew it was coming and dodged. Anna gave a cry of pain as Hans's sword cut her shoulder blade,

"_You don't want to do this, Elsa,_" Hans said in Norsk, "_You don't want to miss and strike Anna again, do you? Or one of your friends?"_

Elsa tried to ignore him. She would not lose Anna again, not to her magic, and not to this fiend.

Hans circled, keeping Anna, who was still regaining her breath, in between himself and Elsa. He eyes focused like some sort of predatory bird. "_You know what will happen if you strike your sister again... and you know what will happen if you miss."_

Elsa aimed another blast of magic as her breath quickened. It was wide, she was careful not to hit her sister but in doing so also missed Hans by a mile.

"_Look. You are already beginning to frost the grass. It's building, isn't it, the fear?_"

Elsa hesitated and swallowed. Hans was a monster, but he was right.

As quick as a hawk, Hans struck. He reached out with his free hand to pull the startled Anna towards him, his sword once again against her throat.

Snow began to fall.

"_Why are you doing this Hans?" _Elsa cried, _"I know why you were after me... but I thought you loved Anna! That's what started all this!"_

Anna was struggling, despite the sword to her throat, despite having one arm twisted around her back. _"He never loved me, he just wanted Arendelle!_" Anna shouted.

The snow began to fall harder.

"_And now, so you don't hurt her, Anna and I will be going_. _And if you try anything... EITHER of you, I will not hesitate to kill her._"

Elsa stared after him, her brain numb. Only after she heard a woman's voice calling her name did she come back to the present, she fumbled around her arms, finally managing to reactivate her bracers. The snow immediately stopped, the last flakes dropping in the drift around them.

Skye stumbled to her feet, her hands rubbing her arms. "Coulson? Agent Phil? Are you ok?" she asked, helping Phil to his feet.

Elsa looked to the others, Lenora's face was tense. Leopold was wrapping something around her arm. "You could have had better luck, he must have hit the artery, but missed the tendon. That was a lot of blood," he said, speaking rapidly out nervousness.

Phil surveyed the scene. For the first time since she met Phil, he wasn't relaxed. "Sit-Rep." he commanded firmly. If he was angry, he wasn't showing it. "What happened?"

"We got ambushed, Agent Coulson. I'm not sure how he took all six of us by surprise..."

"Seven," whispered Elsa.

"Right, all seven of us by surprise but he went after you and Detective Klepp. I think he got you over the head with the..." she fumbled, looking for the word.

"Hilt," said Leopold, "and then slashed the Detective. He must be pretty strong, that was a bastard sword, and he was using it with one hand. After he'd incapacitated you two, Elsa tried to ice him," he paused, as if thinking he'd said something funny, "but wasn't able to. They were talking in Norsk."

"The redhead... 'Hans', right? Was threatening her," Lenora said, "he kept pointing out how her control was slipping, about what could happen to her sister..."

"I... I couldn't control it..." Elsa whispered again, her eyes shut,"Don't feel..."

Phil whirled to face her. "Elsa!" he snapped. Her eyes flew open, meeting the intense gaze on his face. His voice dropped an octave, but was no less firm. "You need to get used to feeling your emotions. It's one thing to keep them from influencing your actions, but feeling fear for your sister is absolutely natural. That's why Director Fury had your bracers made."

Elsa simply hung her head. Hans had gotten away, and Elsa blamed herself for not stopping him.

Phil put a cell phone back in his pocket. "Ward's on his way. May's staying with the bus. In the meantime, we better follow his tracks before the snow melts.

"What's he hope to accomplish, anyway?" Leopold asked. "He's taking a resisting captive through easily traceable terrain. He can't actually outdistance... oh. Of course." After a few hundred feet, the tracks in the snow changed from foot prints to hoof marks. "How did we not hear this?" he asked.

"Same way we didn't see him sneak up on us the rest of the way," Lenora said, after a few moments of tense silence. "Shouldn't we focus on catching him?"

"Even with a struggling captive, we're not going to catch someone on horseback," Phil complained. "I'm going to have to have Ward bring Lola."

Elsa blinked and looked back toward Arendelle. "Or maybe how maybe it's a good thing I haven't abdicated yet. How many of you can ride a horse?" But going into Arendelle would cost precious time, even if Elsa could be incognito. The circle of snow had reached the city... and even if it had begun to warm again, they had to knew Elsa was there.

* * *

><p>As it turned out, Elsa didn't have to do anything like that. Lenora simply pulled a phone out of her pocket, and communicated with someone else inside the city, a few minutes later, four horses were led out to them by one of Lenora's team.<p>

Elsa and Skye took Elsa's personal horse. Phil and Lenora also paired up, as did Jemma and Leopold. Jemma had apparently taken horseback riding as part of the Girl Guides at some point. Of the group, Elsa was clearly the most experienced rider.

When Agent Ward caught up with them, they were approaching the end of the snowline, the hoof prints they were following gave way to a trail, heading north, into the mountains. "Do you realize how far we are from our starting point?" Leopold asked. "How power..."

"Fitz..." Jemma said, shushing him. "Not the time," she said quietly.

Elsa didn't notice. She was too worried about Anna. She focused on the ground ahead of her, of the deep impressions the horse's hooves had left in the mud. They were in the foothills, and would be getting into the mountains soon. She was worried about pushing her horse any further or faster... and there was still no sign of Hanss.

"Any idea where they're going?" Phil shouted.

"No." said Elsa. "The mountains weren't well mapped when my parents were alive. Who knows how much they... look out." Elsa was forced to pull her horse up, Skye's arms tightening.

"What is it?" asked Lenora.

"Bridge out," Jemma said, pointing ahead. They were about to get into the mountains proper, and a ravine separated them from where the trail continued upward. The suspension bridge dangled from their side.

Lenora slipped from behind Phil and pulled field glasses from her pack. Looking through it, she asked. "That's him! He's just on the other side! He must have just cut down the bridge. He's got your sister with him," she added belatedly.

Phil dismounted as well. "Can I borrow your binoculars?" asked Phil politely. Lenora handed them over promptly. Phil raised them to his own eyes, and nodded. "That almost looks like a destrier," Phil noted. "Also, he's spent."

"He wasted his time," Elsa said, almost savagely. She clambered down, deactivated her bracers, and stepped toward the large gap. She'd done this before. She unleashed her magic, snow flew violently from her hands, bridging the gap between the two sides of her gorge. When she stopped, it had a distinct bridge like shape.

She took the first step aggressively, still letting her magic flow, the snow solidifying to ice beneath her hands and feet. She did not stop until she was on the other side, a few dozen feet. She looked around rapidly for Hans... but he'd apparently had taken off in the meantime. She could see the drag marks in the grass where Anna... she averted her eyes.

"He can't have gotten far!" Elsa shouted, "Aren't you coming?" she said, turning to look over the bridge.

"We are taking care of the horses!" Phil shouted back to her.

Lemon, Hans's own horse, looked grumpy and exhausted to one side.

Elsa, flushed with embarrassment, channeled her energy a second time, creating a large block of ice for Lemon to use to water himself with, or cool himself with. "We'll take you back after we find Anna," she told him. She deactivated her bracers.

A few minutes later, the rest of the team came carefully over the ice bridge, Lenora taking up the rear, one hand in her pocket, the other carefully holding the frozen bannister. "I apologize, Phil," Elsa said as they arrived.

"A broken bridge?" Leopold fumed. "What is this? Some kind of bad Dungeons & Dragons plot? And Hans had to know that we could cross it anyway."

"Fitz!" Jemma said again, putting her hand on his shoulder.

"It's alright, Elsa," Phil said, "I understand your anxious. I would be too." He looked around, surveying the landscape with Lenora's field glasses. "I don't see our quarry anywhere. Agent Ward?"

"I've had wilderness survival training, and that includes how to track," Grant told Elsa. "I'll take the lead." He stepped forward, "Pair up and fan out," he directed. "Look for signs of a struggle, or another drag point. Hans must have had some idea of where he was taking her."

"What was his goal?" asked Skye. "I mean, if he was looking for revenge, he could simply of attacked at the start."

"He couldn't keep control of Anna and come after me," Elsa said. "If he'd tried, something would have given." She smiled slightly to herself. "Anna wouldn't have taken something like that quietly." She looked over at the woman, trying to ascertain her age. "He knew I'd come after her, the same way she came after me."

"You think this is an ambush."

"Of course it's a trap," Elsa agreed, still looking for any sign of her sister. "But what choice do I have?"

"Do we have," Skye corrected. "We're here to help."

"I think we've got something," shouted Lenora.

Grant walked over to her, then quickly walked back to the original point of contact. "We go that way. Stay fanned out, in case he turned. Agent Coulson, sir, why don't you go with Elsa. Officer Klepp, if you could go with with Skye. There already was one ambush because we weren't armed properly..."

Elsa raised an eyebrow at his cheek, but it made good sense, so the group pressed on, past the treeline and up into the mountains proper. Every few minutes, Phil would do another sweep with the glasses. "Why haven't we caught him?" he muttered. "We can't have been that far behind him, if Ms. Klepp saw him... and I don't care how big and strong he is. He had a captive."

About a mile up, after another sweep, Phil did a double take. "Cavern. There." He raised his voice, "I've got something!"

"Ambush in a cavern?" Leopold complained. "Let me just tick another off that bad GM checklist."

Jemma simply rolled her eyes.

"It's got to be an ambush," agreed Grant. "And while he might only be one person, we need to be careful."

"I don't suppose anyone brought flashlights?" Skye asked. Phil, Lenora, and Grant all produced small, high powered flashlights, enough to brighten the dank interior of the cave.

Although wide enough to walk three across comfortably, the floor was uneven, and Elsa twice stubbed her toes on protrusions she couldn't see. It also smelled of mildew and mold, so it had that going for it. Ugh.

After just a few minutes, Grant put up a hand. "I think I see..."

There was just a few moments when a lit flame drifted across one side of the cave, into what could only have been a crevice of blasting powder.

Then it exploded.


	3. Chapter 3

The explosion rocked the cavern, throwing debris everywhere.

"Elsa!" Phil said loudly but calmly. "Can you give the ceiling some support?"

Elsa's bracers had been deactivated when she saw the falling fire. She covered the ceiling in a sheet of ice, stopping the pieces of rock that had begun to fall after the explosion, but the ice continued to spread, down the walls to the side, across the floor, even in front and behind them, sealing them in. Elsa fumbled for her bracers again. "No, nononono..." she looked up in horror. "I'm sorry. My control..."

"Can you..." Lenora began.

"No!" Elsa said, staring at evidence of her out of control power. "Only twice. Once I wasn't even there. The other was..."

"Earlier today," Lenora said. She shivered.

"Instead of buried in a cave in, I'm freezing in an underground igloo," grumbled Leopold. "I want a new GM."

"What has gotten into you today, Fitz?" Jemma demanded.

"I'm sorry, I get like this when I'm hungry," he told her. "I said we should have packed sandwiches."

"Less complaining, more figuring out a way out of here," Phil told them.

"Can I borrow your baton?" Grant asked Lenora. He planted his feet, and took a mighty swing at the ice wall in front of him. The blow landed with a mighty THWACK, but failed even to crack the ice. "Ow," Grant complained, dropping the baton to the cave floor.

Fitz eyed the ice for a moment, "We're going to have to blow it open." He turned to Lenora. "Officer Kripp, may I have the magazines for your side arm?"

"What?"

"I'm going to create a shaped charge to blow us a hole."

"But we're going to need something to put it in," Jemma said, "To direct the blast. If we just pile it, we'll get blown up."

"We need a source of heat," Fitz continued, looking around. "Or failing that," he looked at Jemma, who's eyes was focused on Kripp's flashlight. "Light. We have florescents, but that's an incandescent bulb... if we overcharge the battery..."

"Wait," Grant said. "You're going to overclock... a flashlight? How?"

Jemma looked around, "Detective Kripp's taser. It can provide the electric charge we need to boost the output of the filament... assuming it doesn't burst."

"Well, get on it then," said Phil. "Agent Ward, Elsa, Detective Kripp, let's get to dissembling these bullets and pouring the powder out."

Leopold nodded, and he and Jemma set to work on the flashlight and taser. Once she'd been shown the technique, Elsa got them open reasonably quickly, and between the four of them they got a growing pile of powder on the floor.

There was the crackle of electricity. "Whoops!" Jemma said "Sorry about that. A little water on the connection points." About thirty seconds later, Elsa looked up, and she could see the raw bulb of the flashlight pressed up against the ice wall.

After a few minutes, and they had a decent pile of a black powder. "I'm going to hold onto my last magazine," Lenora said.

"We can make do with this," said Leopold, walking over, scraping it into his hands. He gently deposited the powder into a hole that had been melted into the ice. "Stand against the far wall," he instructed, "And turn your back, it'll be safer that way if there's any dust."

Elsa backed up against the wall as Jemma, carefully dropped the end of the taser into Loepold's hole. He turned his back. "I hope it still has enough juice to make it burn," he told them. "Everyone ready?"

There was a general murmur of ascent, and Leopold activated the taser. There was another cackle of electricity, then a muffled "Boom". When they turned around again, there was a nice, round hole in the ice.

Phil went through first, then turned to help the others through as well. It was a tight fit for Grant, but he made it through. "Very good," Phil said. "Let's hope it melts a bit by the time we get out again. Agent Ward, would you take the lead?"

"I don't think..." he said, "That we have far to go. It's not like this is a mine," he said, sweeping his flashlight back and forth. "Also, I hear something."

Fifty feet down the corridor, and just around the bend, they saw what Grant heard: Anna, gagged with white cloth and bound with rope, and a sword at her throat. Lenora and Grant both drew weapons, pointing them at Hans.

_ "Step away from the girl and drop your weapon," _ordered Lenora.

"_Why?_" asked Elsa, _"Why do this?"_

_ "Why?" _shouted Hans, "_My eldest brother had his throne, the next two had his choice of princesses... my mother only wanted a daughter! I was this close to having a position of power by my own skills..." _

Ward fired, striking Hans in his shoulder. Hans looked shocked, and after mere moments, his sword clattered to the ground, his body falling shortly thereafter.

"Shut up, Hansibal," Grant said with a smirk.

Jemma rolled her eyes, while Fitz broke into appreciative laughter.

Elsa raced forward to pull Anna from her bindings.

"Really? Phil asked, looking at Grant. "Hansibal?"

"We watched 'Silence of the Lambs' the day before Thanksgiving in Academy one year. As an example of everything not to do an interrogation," Ward explained.

"Huh. Good use of a preholiday day, I suppose."

"_I told him you'd come_," Anna said, after Elsa pulled the gag from her mouth. "_But who are these people? And where's Kristof?_

"_Anna_," Elsa began, taking a deep breath. "_We were frozen for a long time..."_ She was dimly aware of the others talking.

Anna stumbled slightly, seeming to just notice how out of place the SHIELD Agents and Detective Lenora would have been in Arendelle. She looked at Elsa, clutching at her sister as realization dawned. "_When... when are we_?"

_"It is the 30__th__ of April," _Elsa replied. "_Of the year 2012_."

Elsa felt the grasp of her sister go weak, and took her sisters arms in her own hands, supporting her. "_It is ok. You are with me." _She had a pretty good guess as to the next question Anna would ask, and this was not the time to answer it. "_Let me introduce you to my friends._"This would be rough. Elsa had learned English to communicate with the Brits on the other side of the sea. Anna... had not.

She introduced the SHIELD agents one at a time, starting with Jemma, then going around through the others, ending with Sir Phil Coulson, the nicest person after Anna she had ever met.

_"This is Detective Lenora Klepp, of the Norweigan Federal Police. Norway was formed by a uniting of the smaller countries, not long after we were frozen._" She turned to Lenora, who bowed, a bit belatedly. _"Do you know anything about Kristof?" _she asked. He must have been the man Anna brought with her to the North Mountain, but that was all she knew.

"_The Lap..." _Elsa gave the detective a withering look. "_The Sami man? Yes. He was with the SHIELD Agents right after the great thaw. I know he was distressed, but he's been in and out of Arendelle since then."_

_"See, Anna? We'll go find Kristof now." _She switched back to English. "Anna had a companion, before the freeze. She wants to find out what happened him. Is that OK?"

"What are we going to do with sparky here?" asked Grant.

"I'll take him," said Lenora. "Unless SHIELD wants an extra prisoner to keep track of." She paused and frowned. "I don't know any court would know what to do with him. Any competent lawyer could probably get him an insanity defense."

"A psych ward might be the place for him," agreed Phil. "And if you're volunteering for the paperwork, that's just fine by me."

Lenora nodded. "At least that means I have some use. At least as much use as my gear did," she said, grinning. She walked over to Hans, putting handcuffs on the unconscious former prince of the southern isles. "Agent Ward?" she asked. "Since you knocked him out, will you give me a hand dragging him out of here?"

The ice cage that Elsa had conjured had begun to melt. Grant demolished the rest of it with well placed swings of Hans's sword. They all blinked as they emerged back into the sunlight. It was sometime after noon, according to the sun. Elsa told Anna all about her experiences with the other Avengers and the Battle of New York as they walked.

When they reached Sitron, (Lemon? She'd been speaking English for too long.) Hans was carefully lowered onto his back. Elsa took a moment to reinforce her previous magic, and the group went on a very careful walk over Elsa's ice bridge.

_"I had to wonder why he went through the effort of cutting down the supports,_" remarked Anna. _"He knew what you were capable of._"

"_The others seem to think that he was... touched, so to speak by the experience._" Elsa told her. "_Maybe he just wasn't rational_."

Anna shrugged. "_I wish I'd had the opportunity to smite him myself."_

Lenora raised an eyebrow, but Anna laughed.

_ "If he hadn't jumped you, and if you'd a sword, you might have been able to defend yourself. The captain of the guard's training was one of the few things that held your attention," _Elsa said, smiling. "_You know... I saw this story about a knight who carried a blade made out of energy..."_

_ "That sounds so... wait, what? You saw a story?_"

When they arrived outside Arendelle, Lenora was again on her portable phone. "Sorry it took so long. No reception in the mountains. Anyway. Kristof is in town at the moment, and we're getting to have him meet you just outside of town. It's probably for the best we don't take Hans there though, so I'm going to take the big lug to a pick up point for a helicopter extraction south of town."

She held out her hand. "Lady Elsa? Agent Phil Coulson? It was a pleasure to meet you both." Phil reached forward and shook her hand warmly. Elsa responded with a curtsy." She switched to Norsk. "_Princess Anna, it was a pleasure to aid in your rescue._" Anna also gave a curtsy.

Lenora departed, dragging Hans behind her, leaving the group alone.

"_ANNA!_" came a shout, as a large well built blond man raced out of the town gates, followed by another bemused Norweigan officer. He enveloped Anna in a large bear hug.

"That must be Kristof," noted Ward.

Elsa was slightly alarmed. _"Hey! Put my sister down please!"_

_ "I came to visit you so often,_" said Kristof.

"Excuse me, Elsa?" said Phil. "I know Anna needs to catch up with you and Kristof, but there's a few things we need to take care of before we go." He pulled two envelopes from his jacket. One was yellowed with age, the other looked modern. They both had the names of the Duke of Wësselton written upon them. "I think you should be the one to deliver them."


	4. Chapter 4

Elsa walked through the main street of Arendelle with her heart in her throat. She had been the one to, well, cause the event that brought everyone forward in time. Some people turned tail when they saw their queen. Others looked nervous and turned away. Only a few came up to talk to her, apologizing for the way they had treated her revelation of powers. Nobody brought up, or maybe even knew about, the Battle of New York.

After all, two weeks ago, New York was an almost mythical far away place.

Elsa was polite with them. Phil might be in a hurry, but these were people that were her subjects. She still had a responsibility to them, proposed abdication or not.

A plane flew overhead as they approached the castle. Several citizens looked up in amazement. Anna looked up in alarm. Elsa, as well as Kristov, had to calm her down with a description of the "Metal Bird".

The castle seemed deserted. The servants must have gone to live with their families, with the royals gone. Only the head senechal, Jacob, was there. He had been one of the few to know Elsa's secret, he'd been the acting regent while Elsa came of age.

Jacob held out a gloved hand, and shook Elsa's warmly. "_I heard about what happened in the British Colonies... excuse me, the United States. Your parents would have been proud."_

_ "Thank you, Jacob," _Elsa said with a curtsy. "_Where are the Ambassadors?_"

"_At this time of evening? Mostly in their quarters. I understand the government of Norway is working with their original home governments to find them permanent residences."_

Elsa nodded. "_I understand that the Duke of Wësselton is... oh."_

Jacob's face looked crestfallen. "_Duke Stephan is here. The others are excited to learn about this new world. Stephan... doesn't come out. He barely eats. He just sits in his room, staring at the fire."_

Elsa clutched at the letters Phil had given her, and taken took a deep steadying breath. _"Can you take me to him_?"

* * *

><p>Jacob, who spoke reasonably good English, departed after leading her. He was going to show the rest of the SHIELD agents around the castle. But with Anna, Kristov, and Phil waiting near the door, Elsa took another deep breath, and knocked. There was no reply. She knocked again. Still no answer. She tried the handle, and found it unlocked.<p>

She stepped inside. The guest bedroom was still very tastefully decorated. A nice, untouched looking bed sat in one corner. Near the fireplace, as advertised, sat Duke Stephan, of Wësselton.

He looked up as she entered, and their eyes met. She would have sworn several emotions flashed through his face: Surprise, regret, anger, and in the end, sorrow reigned supreme. "_Monster_," he whispered. But there was no acid to his tone. Only a resigned defeat. He turned away, staring at the fire once again.

Elsa had to blink back the tears. He'd called her a monster before. And she had done the most monstrous thing to a single person that she could imagine. "_I... I understand your loss, your Grace. I... took your family away from you. I wish to Heaven that I hadn't. If there was anything I could do to give them back to you. I would do it. In a heartbeat."_

_ "Would you sacrifice your own?" _he sniped. Then he realized what he said, "_I apologize. Do not answer that. I can't ask someone to give up other peoples lives for the betterment of my own. I saw what your sister did for you, and the sword that caused my... our pain."_

There was silence in the room for several seconds. "_I still wonder, you know. If I hadn't been so scared, and caused you to lose control of your magic... would I still have lost them? My Elizabeth? My Eric?_"

Elsa could feel the tears starting to come. "_Your Grace... if there is..."_

_"There is nothing for me in this life. I am to old to relearn the world." _The old Duke looked up, meeting Elsa's gaze once more. "_Could you help me back to sleep? Maybe.. in the forever dream, I will see them again._"

Elsa felt her mind go numb, and the temperature in the room dropped a few degrees. "_Your Grace, that... that cannot be the answer. There has to be someone who..."_

_ "Who, your highness?" _The question hung the air. "_Everyone who knew me is lost to time. My family, my old friends. Ernest and Fritz... but they were my guards, not..." _he sighed. "_I have no one_."

He looked up, past Elsa to the doorway. Elsa pictured the horrified face of her sister.

"_You have us," _Elsa said. "_Me, and Anna_."

"_You are very kind, but you have your own lives to lead. You cannot waste them on an old man."_

Elsa, her hands shaking, took the yellowed letter into her right hand, and pressed it into the hands of the old Duke. _"Someone must remember you._"

The Duke stared at it. He almost moved to throw it into the fire, but Elsa moved to interpose herself. The Duke shook his head and opened it. He pulled out a letter, just as old as the envelope. It was covered with spindly thin writing. He began to read, then looked up in pure shock.

"_Where... where did you get this?" _ he asked.

_"From... from the Agents of SHIELD. Why? Who is it from?_"

"_My... my wife._" He said simply, and continued to read. Elsa could see his eyes brimming with tears, but a new look, a look of pride shone on his face. "_She... says what my son... my Eric accomplished. How he was instrumental in uniting Norway. How he had his own daughter, naming her after Elizabeth. And she never gave up on seeing me again. _" he finished the letter, holding it to his chest.

He was silent for a moment, wiping his eyes. But, as quickly as his mood changed, it reverted. _"But there is still nothing for me here,_" he said, sorrow returning to his voice. He turned to Elsa, who held up the second letter.

"_Who... who is that from_?" he asked, amazed.

"_I don't know," _she replied. "_Open it, let's find out_."

He did so, much more eagerly this time. He looked at the letter in momentary confusion, just long enough for Elsa to tell it was typed. He clearly didn't believe whatever the letter told him, and reread it a second time. Then a third.

"_Well_?" asked Elsa, trying to hide her curiosity. "_Who __**is **__it from?"_

_ "My..._" the Duke paused to count. _"Great, Great, Granddaughter_." He sounded amazed. _"She and her husband both work... and she has a child. She would like me to... help care for my however many greats it is grandson. She lives in Oslo..." _he looked up, his entire expression changed. There was now hope, and Elsa gained a new appreciation for Phil's comment on how it was the opposite to fear.

"_Your highness, milady Elsa... do you think your friends could arrange for transportation to Oslo_?"

Anna moved in, standing next to her sister. _"I'm sure they can, your grace._"

The Duke beamed.

* * *

><p><em>"You're leaving?"<em> asked Kristov, his face falling.

"_Only temporarily," _said Anna. _"You're a good man, Kristov. And you risked your life to come back and save me. But Elsa wants me with her when she goes with the Duke and... and... there's a whole new world out there! I want to see it! With my sister."_

_ "Just... promise me this isn't goodbye," _Kristov said.

Anna stepped up and gave Kristov a quick peck on the cheek. "_I promise._"

Elsa, standing nearby, raised one eyebrow, but smiled.

Anna and Kristov, holding hands, went with the Agents towards the Bus. Anna clearly had to keep herself from running to see it closer. The Duke was far less excited, but went anyway.

* * *

><p>Norway: Oslo Lufthaven (International Airport). 12:30 Hours EST (19:30 Hours CET)<p>

A car was waiting for them. Phil drove. Anna and the Duke were staring wide eyed at large, modern buildings of Oslo, back dropped against the setting sun. This was a welcome change from the short ride on the bus, where Duke Stephen was airsick. _"I could handle boats just fine. This... this is unpleasant." _he had told them, between retches. He'd had time to clean up afterward.

Not far out of the downtown area of Oslo, Phil brought the car to a stop.

"This is the place," he said.

"_We're here, your grace._" Elsa translated. She unbuckled herself, then helped the Duke with his own seat belt.

For someone who grew up in a castle, this was a moderate dwelling. For someone who knew what New York apartments (not owned by Tony Stark) looked like, this was a middle class home, with a large backyard. Duke Stephan looked apprehensive, but Elsa and Anna walked encouragingly behind him as he approached the front door.

He knocked.

The door opened, and a middle aged woman of brown hair and bright smile looked out. She looked at the Duke, then at the girls behind him. A three year old toddler peaked passed her legs.

The Duke bowed politely, "_Good evening, Madam,_" he said formerly. Elsa privately thought how he should be wearing a hat, so he could take it off. "_I'm your great..._"

"_Grandfather_," she said, smiling even more brightly. "_I was told you were coming._" She stepped out and embraced him. Elsa got a quick look past them into the foyer, where a prominent portrait of who only could be the Duke and the Duchess in happier years hung over a fireplace mantle.

"_Come, let me introduce you to your grandson,_" she said. With a quick wink and nod at the girls, she ushered him inside, and closed the door behind her.

* * *

><p>"So," Phil asked, driving back to the airport. "Where next, Elsa?"<p>

"I'm not sure," Elsa admitted. "I would like to introduce my sister to Tony, who we both owe so much to, and to Steve, who I know she'd get along with," Elsa began. "But... I want to keep helping. Capt... I mean, Director Nicholas seems to think that other events like the Battle for New York could happen again. I... want to be ready if they do."

"We'll have to give your sister a crash course in English. The only person in SHIELD I'd be willing to bet speaks Norsk is Agent Romanov. Because I think she speaks everything. But we'd be happy to have you on board, Elsa. You're a good person."

"_You remember some English, don't you Anna?_" Elsa asked.

"_I think so,"_ Anna replied. "_But no matter what, I'm going with you."_

Elsa reached out to take her sister's hand. She had no words of gratitude for her sister. "_Then let me show you the world_."

* * *

><p>SHIELD Bus: Atlantic Ocean 14:00 EST (21:00 CET)<p>

Anna, Skye, and Elsa were in the lounge. Skye had her laptop, and was showing Anna clips of the Battle of New York while Elsa narrated. They had English subtitles turned on, and had Anna practicing English. After getting over her fascination with the idea of watching a story, Anna was amazed at what Elsa had accomplished.

_"_You should have been practicing all along. Mom and Dad were mistaken. It wasn't other people finding out you had to worry about. It was your own fear and inexperience,_" _Anna said in halting English, mixed with Norsk. A few weeks of full English immersion should help that.

Elsa shut her eyes for a moment. "Do you... do you not remember the accident? When we were children?" Elsa asked.

"No?" Anna said, blinking. "_The trolls said something, but I do not remember."_

"No more secrets between us," Elsa said, firmly. "Let me tell you everything." She paused, and got a mischievous glint in her eye. "Then tell me about Kristov."


	5. Epilogue

"Agent Ward, a moment," Agent Coulson requested.

"Yes, sir?" responded Ward.

"I want your opinion on something. Detective Klepp suggested, as we were heading back to Arendelle, that Hans could have known we were coming by spotting the Quinnjet landing. What's your take on that?"

Ward frowned. "Well, we parked some distance away, but well. This is the bus. It can be hard to miss. I'd say that's plausible."

Coulson nodded. "What about sneaking up on us?"

"Well, you weren't treating it like a combat op, sir. And, with you as the exception, I wouldn't trust the others to be particularly observant to that kind of thing, especially with the excitement of Ms. Anna's rescue." He thought for a second. "Sure, it's plausible."

"And the blasting powder he used to try to collapse us in the cave. Detective Klepp believed it was refined black powder from the tall ships still in the harbor."

"That's... actually pretty ingenious. That'd work, too. So, sure, I'd buy that."

"But you heard him. He sounded pretty crazy at the end. So..."

"Hmm. I see what you're saying, sir. That's an awful lot of plausibles."

"I had Skye run a background check on Detective Klepp, and everything checks out on her end. But I can't shake the feeling that something is out there. This doesn't seem quite right."

Ward shrugged. "You might be right... but. I suppose we'll never know."

"Hmph."

* * *

><p>The two rode down the elevator. The Baron would want this report in person, and he was in the lab. So, they were going to the lab.<p>

The lab was a dark place. It was cramped, filled with computers and the Baron's pet projects. His latest acquisition, Loki's Scepter, had just arrived. She didn't care for the men only atmosphere, but the power. The power was incredible. She couldn't deny that.

Baron Strucker looked up at her, and smiled. His smile was enough to send grown men running for cover, but she simply shrugged it off. "Mien Fraulein Viper," he said, "how good it is to see you." He frowned suddenly. "Mien Fraulein Viper and **guest.**"

She inclined her head at the compliment. "Baron," she said politely, "I have the report you asked for regarding Fraulein Elsa. "And my associate was indispensable at retrieving this information. I'm not one to waste resources, and I believe he would an excellent addition to your team."

"My Lord Baron," the man said, in perfect German. "Fraulein Viper has explained to me the mission of Hydra. I was willing to follow her plan to the letter. I was even willing to let her shoot me to maintain her cover, though it turned out it wasn't necessary."

"Your German is excellent," complemented the Baron. "And I approve of such competency. But why do you wish this to assist us?" he asked.

Hans's eyes glinted. "Power," he said simply. "Power the likes my brothers would never have dreamed of. Viper has told me something of the miracles here, and that is something I wish to be a part of. And I will do **whatever** it takes."

Baron Strucker smiled.


	6. Epilogue the 2nd

Epilogue the 2nd:

SHIELD Bus, Laguardia Airport 7:00 AM EDT

The Bus had touched down long ago, but Elsa and Anna had been asleep. Skye and Jemma had bunked in the living area, allowing Anna and Elsa proper beds.

Phil had knocked, awakening Elsa. "Agent Ward has contacted Ms. Potts, and Mr. Stark has agreed to let you stay for a few more days."

Elsa had quickly dressed herself in her civilian clothes, and found Phil and her sister waiting for her. "By the way," Phil said as they headed for the exit. "Please don't tell Mr. Stark that I'm alive. Director's orders," he told them.

Anna looked confused. "Did.. did I.." she paused, searching for the word, then gave up. "_understand_ that? Not alive is _dead_, right?"

"You understood correctly, Anna," Elsa said. And Elsa understood. She didn't like the secrecy, but she understood. "_Director Fury faked Agent Phil's death to make the Avengers to make it personal... so they would focus on Loki instead of each other._"

_"Did that help?_" Anna asked incredulously.

"_It did for me_," Elsa admitted. "_Until I saw exactly what Loki was willing to do to his own brother, as well as Phil..." _she trailed off. "_Well. Now I know what a monster looks like._"

_"You already did,"_ her sister retorted. "_It looks like Hans_,"

Elsa laughed, and she turned back to Phil. "I'm sorry for speaking Norsk in front of you like that, Phil," Elsa apologized. "Is Ms. Potts here?"

Phil cocked his head. "I'm Phil, and she's Ms. Potts?"

"You asked me to call you Phil, back when we first me. Remember?" Elsa told him, cocking her in confusion.

"Ah, right," Phil said, giving an apologetic frown. "I apologize. It's been a busy last few weeks,"

"Thank you for saving me," Anna replied.

"By the way," Phil asked, "How was the book?"

"Dark, but good," Elsa replied. Then shuddered. "But I see exactly why Bruce liked it. Want it next?"

Phil shook his head. "I'll get my own copy," he said smiling.

Ms. Potts was waiting for them on the tarmac. She smiled at Anna's wide eyed, excited face.

Elsa, slightly more dignified, introduced her sister.

"It's been a busy thirty-six hours," Ms. Potts told her. "May I assume that you want to take it easy this morning?"

"What? No! I want to see what has changed!" Anna exclaimed, her eyes wide. "Elsa said Oslo had nothing on New York!"  
>"My sister," said Elsa sedately, "has some energy to burn off."<p>

"Oh?" said Ms. Potts. "Did you have some place in mind?"

Anna was looking wide eyed at the sheer number of aircraft, apparently mentally calculating how many people must pass through here. Elsa leaned forward and whispered. "Ms. Skye mentioned somewhere we might go."

"And where might that be?" asked Ms. Potts.

Elsa told her, her lips betraying a mischievous smile.

"You want your sister's first experience with modern New York to be... that?" said a startled Ms. Potts. "Why?"

Elsa tapped Anna on the shoulder, guiding her towards the sedan that their host had driven. "Well, you've heard my side of the story. Anna? Would you be willing to tell Ms. Potts what happened to you after the Summer Snowstorm?"

Which is why, about ninety minutes later, Pepper Potts had driven them to a private gym that she was a member of. She parked in the underground facility, and they took the elevator up. The receptionist must have recognized Elsa, for she was asked, not to sign in, but for an autograph.

It was still early in the morning on a work day, so most of the stations in this gym were open. Both Elsa and Anna were amazed by the sheer number of devices that seemed to have been devised to cause pain upon the user. "Elsa?" Anna asked nervously. "_Where have you brought me_?"

"_I'm... I'm not sure,_" Elsa replied. This wasn't what she'd imagine it being. Granted, all she knew was the off the cuff comment by Skye.

"It's in the back," Ms. Potts said, leading the way through the devices, through a hallway and into another room.

Anna and Elsa blinked up at the twenty foot tall climbing wall. "You said you wanted to learn to climb like Kristov," Elsa told her.

Anna gave her sister a disappointed look.

* * *

><p>"It was fun, wasn't it?" asked Elsa.<p>

Anna tried her hardest to look grumpy, but it just wasn't in her character.. "It was," she admitted. "Though the_,_" she furrowed her brow before giving up on the English. "_Clothing of this place leaves a bit to be desired_. _Women of this era carry themselves differently, don't they?_"

Elsa thought back to Agent Hill and Agent Romanov, before glancing at Ms. Potts. "_Yes, they do. But I will admit I hadn't thought of working towards physical strength like that."_

Anna looked intrigued, but didn't say anything as they headed back to the car.

"We'll have to come back and practice again sometime," Elsa said, "And I thank you."

"I have to go in to work," Ms Potts told them. "If I drop you off at Stark Tower can you show Ms. Anna around? I'm sure you can find something to entertain yourself with until Tony wakes up. If he isn't already."

"I will, Ms. Potts."

* * *

><p>Tony was awake, but working on something. Elsa knew better than to disturb him when he was working. Someone who had known him five minutes knew better than that. Instead, Elsa led Anna out onto the balcony that Tony used as a launching pad.<p>

It was the best view in New York. Period. It just needed a guard rail.

"_Wow_," Anna whispered, staring out over the city. Elsa didn't blame her, she had the same reaction when Tony had led her out her. It was only then she truly realized the scope of her actions. Exactly how many people she saved in just one city.

"And now," Elsa said after several minutes. "I think I should show you another modern invention."

"What's that?" asked Anna.

"Hot baths."

Anna wasn't much shorter than Elsa, which meant she could fit into some of the clothing that Elsa had acquired. But Elsa could tell she felt somewhat uncomfortable when Tony finally came looking for them.

"Ah," said Tony, "Princess Anna of Arendelle," Tony said regally, bowing.

"I've warned her about you, Mr. Stark," Elsa said, smiling.

"Warned her about my genius? My rugged good looks? How I've saved the world?" Tony asked. "About how I cannot possibly be as bad as Hans?"

Anna narrowed her eyes.

"No," Elsa said. Then she added, "About how mad Pepper would be if we let you fall back into your patronizing ways."

Tony stepped back and blinked. Then he laughed. "Ouch. Low blow. Accurate though. Probably means you've been around me too long. Which reminds me," his face turned serious, "Pepper and I will be going home to California soon. We need to find you a more permanent solution."

He looked at Anna's crestfallen face. "Well, maybe not right this second. It's not like I have to worry about them turning off the power here," he laughed.

"I hope not," Elsa said. "I was hoping to have your, and Jarvis's, help teaching my sister English. The same way I relearned it."

"A few days then, just be thinking about it, all right? Alright."

"And I want to see this story about a knight with an energy sword," Anna told him.

"Isn't that where I left you?" Tony asked Elsa.

"It was a good story well told," said Elsa. "And I told you that Anna would want to be a Jedi."

Elsa heard Anna gasp, and had a pretty good guess why. A grumpy looking Olaf had wandered in behind Tony. She'd wondered where he'd gotten to, and now had a suspicion on what Tony was working on. He'd never solved why Olaf was 'alive' to his satisfaction.

Anna knelt down, and allowed the Snowman to embrace her.


End file.
